One of the writers on the show comments that Webb Shockley was the head writer for the entire run of the Alan Brady Show except for five years when he took a leave of absence and was replaced by a writing team made up of Rob Petrie, Sally Rogers, and Buddy Sorrell. However, at various times on The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961), it is established that Sally and Buddy predated Rob's tenure on the show by several years, Rob worked for the show before Richie was born, Richie was at turned six years old during the third season, and Rob, Sally, and Buddy worked on the show for at least two seasons beyond that.